Salted Caramel Apple Pie

 Salted Caramel Apple Pie

via Relish

Recipe by Four and Twenty Blackbirds Bakery

Nothing says fall like the smell of a delicious apple pie baking in the oven. This was an impulse baking decision for our Annual Family Pumpkin Party this past Sunday! And let me tell you is was sooooo good. I'm not a big fan of pie but even I enjoyed this pie. This recipe was easy to make and a crowd pleaser. Perfect for Thanksgiving! I hope you give it a try.

ingredients:

Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water mixed with 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Salted Caramel:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (Maldon flake is a good choice)

Apple Filling:
5 to 6 medium to large apples (Crispin, Granny Smith, Cortland)
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup raw sugar (castor or turbinado)*
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice*
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 to 3 dashes Angostora bitters*
2 tablespoons flour

directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.

To make pie crust, combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. (To mix by hand, cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands.)

Add water mixture a little at a time, while pulsing, until dough forms a ball. Divide into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour or more.
Roll out one disc to fit pan. Place in bottom of pan, allowing sides to overlap rim.

To prepare salted caramel, cook sugar and water together over low heat until just dissolved. Add butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking at a low boil until mixture turns a deep, golden brown color. Be careful not to burn caramel—remove from heat before it smokes or turns very dark.

Remove from heat and immediately add heavy cream. Mixture will bubble and steam. Be cautious, as sugar will be very hot. Whisk mixture together over low heat and sprinkle in sea salt. Set aside.

To prepare apple filling, core, peel and thinly slice apples. Combine with lemon juice and remaining ingredients.

Place half the apple filling in pan. Pour half the caramel over top. Layer remaining apple filling and then caramel.

Roll out remaining pie dough and cut into strips. Place in a lattice pattern over apples. Crimp edges of crust. Brush with beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with sea salt and sugar.

Place pie on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325F and continue baking 25 to 35 minutes. Test doneness of apples with a long toothpick or small knife. They should be just soft. Let cool at least 1 hour before slicing.

my changes:

Carmel Sauce: 

I had a bag of individually wrapped caramels on hand. So instead of making the homemade sauce I went the semi-homemade route and melted the bag of caramels in a double broiler with about 1/3 cup heavy cream and just added in the salt. It was delicious!

Time Bake: 

I think the pie needs to bake longer at the 375 temp. Mine didn't have the golden crust like I had hoped for after cooking the pie for the longest amount of time the recipe called for. I had to pull it out of the oven despite being slightly undercooked because I was late for the party so I had to make do. 

ingredients:

I left out any ingredients with an (*) bc I didn't have the item on hand.